Sorry I missed reviews last week, everybody. I had a busy end of week and just couldn’t make room for reviews. Fortunately, I’m in the new phase where I go easier on myself for not hitting deadlines. But I did read a couple of comics this week, so let’s do another one of these!

Comic Book of the Week goes to Action Comics #1065 for another excellent chapter of the House of Brainiac storyline. Good times all around with that one!

Meanwhile, I was on vacation this week and spent my time playing God of War: Ragnarok, which is just as awesome and as much fun as the previous game. I finished the Knuckles TV show and it was fine, definitely in line with the Sonic movies. I loved Velma season 2. I enjoyed The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. And I hope to see the Furiosa movie next weekend! Good times all around for me.

Comic Reviews: Action Comics #1065 and ThunderCats #4.

Action Comics #1065
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artists: Rafa Sandoval and Miguel Mendonca
Colorist: Alejandro Sanchez

I skipped the filler issue in this storyline, but don’t want to miss the main chapters.

The escaped Superboy and Sueprgirl free Livewire and Parasite and lead an attack on the Brainiacs, though Supergirl is captured and taken to the Bottled City of Colu, Brainiac’s homeworld. While out in space, Superman and Lobo flee the Czarnians, but get found out anyway. Lobo then accepts a deal from the Czarnian general to switch sides.

Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.

This is a solid middle chapter of this excellent story. The action moves along nicely, all the main characters have something interesting to do, and the mystery deepens as to Brainiac’s true intentions. What more could one ask for with this storyline? It’s fun to read, makes excellent use of classic characters and concepts, and puts Superman through his paces. I’ve enjoyed Williamson’s take on Superman since the very beginning, and while newer issues are maybe not as magical, this is still a very solid, very enjoyable comic. I’m loving everything they’re doing with the Czarnians, making their inclusion more than worth the hassle and the changes to Lobo’s status quo. This continues to be an excellent Big Event for Superman comics.

TL;DR: Enjoyable, entertaining middle chapter of this Superman vs. Brainiac story.

ThunderCats #4
Writer: Declan Shalvey
Artist: Drew Moss
Colorist: Martina Pignedoli
Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry

This is the end of the first story, which feels sudden, but it’s still a solid issue.

Mumm-Ra leads an army of mummies in an attack on the ThunderCats, which they repel. But while they’re busy, Calica shows her true colors and steals the Sword of Omens out from under them. So Lion-O makes the decision that they’re going to set up base here on Third Earth.

Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.

I’m not the biggest fan of this ThunderCats comic. It’s solid, with good art, and serves the fandom well. I’m just not hooked into the narrative and the characters is all, and that’s on me. I bet bigger ThunderCats fans might really like it. The franchise means nothing to me, so I’m just hanging in there. I feel like the attack from Mumm-Ra comes out of nowhere. His appearances definitely haven’t been building to a direct attack on the ThunderCats. And I’m rather disappointed that Calica is already revealed as a spy and she makes her move. I guess modern comics don’t really have the time to stretch such things out too far. The characters are written well, and I like the way the various plots and subplots continue to develop. The action is very good, and I enjoy that plenty of time is being spent fleshing out the characters and their relationships to one another. So it’s a good comic overall — and, again, even better for fans, I imagine — I’m just not hooked in as much as I would like.

TL;DR: This comic does a lot to work with the canon and be fan-friendly, and it’s doing so with good writing, great art and solid action and character work. But it lacks that extra level spark of something interesting.

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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