What an interesting week for comics! We have a ton of first issues this week, whether brand new series or just the start of a big new run by a new creative team. Stuff like Tom Taylor on Detective Comics or a new Iron Man.

Comic Book of the Week goes to Absolute Wonder Woman #1 for another awesome alternate reality reboot. I hope Superman is just as good when it comes out!

Meanwhile, I saw Venom: The Last Dance this week and hated it! What a garbage movie! I was able to find something to enjoy in the first two, so I haven’t been a total Venom movie hater. But man, this third one was a real stinker on every conceivable level. I’ll post my full thoughts/review sometime next week. Other than that, Star Trek: Lower Decks is back on the air, so awesome. And I’ve started playing Baldur’s Gate 3 again. Good times.

Comic Reviews: Absolute Wonder Woman #1, Dazzler #2, Detective Comics #1090, Iron Man #1 and Superman #19.

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Absolute Wonder Woman #1
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Becca Carey

And here we are for the second Absolute comic! This one is a bit different from Absolute Batman, which is to be expected, but just as fun and exciting.

In this version, Diana is taken from the Amazons by the gods and sent to live in the care of Circe, who is imprisoned on the island of Hell. Raising a baby quickly grows on Circe and Diana becomes just the awesomest person. When she’s old enough, she learns who she truly is. Then some time passes, and eventually she’s Wonder Woman, armed with all sorts of godly weapons, and defending Gateway City from a giant monster.

Comic Rating: 9/10 – Great.

This comic is a great example of what a fresh relaunch/reboot can do for a character. Just take Wonder Woman and strip her to her most basic, badass elements, and throw her into an action comic of epic and fun proportions. That’s Absolute Wonder Woman. And what’s even better, is that Diana’s empathic and compassionate side are part of her most basic, badass elements. This comic is a wonderful blend of both halves of the character, all telling a complete and awesome story. The scenes of Diana growing up under Circe’s care are just as good and just as much fun as watching adult Wonder Woman wield an entire armory of god weapons to fight these invading bad guys.

I especially enjoy using the artwork to express the passage of time the way they do, by showing their abode on Hell grow and flourish as they make a family. It’s cute how Circe goes from willing to let the baby just die to raising Diana as her mother. And then we intersperse that story with warrior Diana fighting monsters, with that awesome new design. I love the look. I love the feel. I love the energy of this comic. So kudos all around to this Absolute initiative so far.

TL;DR: Another awesome first issue for Absolute DC. This one expertly combines Wonder Woman’s warrior side with her compassionate side for an excellent reboot origin that delivers.

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Dazzler #2
Writer: Jason Loo
Artist: Rafael Loureiro
Colorist: Java Tartaglia
Letterer: VC’s Ariana Maher

We’re all just going to have to accept that I have a soft spot for this Dazzler comic.

Scorpia reveals that a mysterious bad guy is paying good money to have villains wreck Dazzler’s world tour. And sure enough, when she goes on a popular talk show in London, a mind controlling mutant in the crew forces her to lash out with her powers during the broadcast. They catch him and he’s just an innocent dude being blackmailed into causing harm, but the studio and the police want to arrest Dazzler. Fortunately, Lila Cheney shows up to save the day.

Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.

This comic is everything I want it to be. Dazzler is on tour, she’s doing celebrity stuff, like appearing on that talk show, and then Loo mixes in his superhero storyline as well. She’s got fun supporting characters like Strong Guy and Domino, even if this isn’t fully an ensemble comic. It’s much more focused on the plot and story over characters (other than Dazzler), which is fine. It’s a fun enough story and I’m enjoying it. The artwork is also excellent, a pretty standard and nicely detailed superhero art style. I like Dazzler’s looks. I like the music Loo is writing for her. I like the general feel of this comic. It’s living up to my hopes and dreams, and that’s enough for my entertainment.

TL;DR: Good, quality superhero storytelling that makes great use of Dazzler’s unique place in the world of superhero comics.

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Detective Comics #1090
Writer: Tom Taylor
Artist: Mikel Janin
Letterer: Wes Abbott

I really like Tom Taylor’s writing and I loved his Nightwing series. But I do not care for his incessant desire to mess with the origins of these characters.

In the present day, Batman stops a teenager from committing an armed robbery, and the scared kid flees while Batman stays to help the wounded shop clerk. When he catches up to the kid, the boy is dead, killed by a mysterious killer. Then Bruce attends a party hosted by an old friend, Scarlett, who is a master geneticist and has invented a possible reverse aging serum. She offers it to Bruce and he’s tempted.

In the near future, Batman faces off against the mysterious killer, who knows his identity.

In the past, Dr. Thomas Wayne saves the life of a man in a car accident, while Martha helps the man’s beaten girlfriend and newborn baby escape to a woman’s shelter. That baby will grow up to be Scarlett. And the man that Dr. Wayne saved…is Joe Chill!

Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.

I swear to god, if Taylor makes it so that Joe Chill specifically targeted the Waynes for what they did to his girlfriend/baby, I’m gonna lose my top! Dude just got done retconning Dick Grayson so that Tony Zucco was specifically targeting Dick and only killed his parents on accident. Also, Taylor introduced a new half-sister in Dick’s life who was raised by Zucco…and now we’ve got a daughter of Joe Chill introduced the exact moment he takes over writing for Batman. Taylor has some favorite tropes, it would seem. I really, really hope this Scarlett lady isn’t the mysterious killer. That would be too Scooby-Doo. Too Hush. And I’m confident Taylor is a better creator than that. He has to be. Even if Heartless did turn out to be the one new character he introduced in his Nightwing run…aw man.

As for the issue itself, I really liked it. Taylor does a great job balancing the various timelines and having them inform one another. I like seeing Batman just on patrol, responding to a shots fired…though it’s only the first issue. I’m sure the entire city will be in danger before too long. Still, it’s simple and it’s enjoyable, and a good enough job is done to introduce our new villain and some new supporting characters. Taylor clearly knows the story he will tell, and he knew how he wanted to introduce everything in this first issue. It’s expert work from a comic pro.

To say nothing of Mikel Janin continuing to just be an amazing artist who is good at everything he does. Stellar artwork. Taylor has been blessed by the gods to get to work with so many modern greats.

TL;DR: Writer Tom Taylor jumps from his acclaimed Nightwing run to Detective Comics and doesn’t miss a beat in telling awesome and interesting superhero stories.

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Iron Man #1
Writer: Spencer Ackerman
Artist: Julius Ohta
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna

We’ve got a new Iron Man relaunch and I’m all about at least trying out the first issue.

Tony Stark has regain control of Stark Unlimited following the previous stories, but his jet boots short out during flight and he crashes hard. He spends weeks in the hospital and in physical therapy and is a pretty broken guy. Things get worse when Roxxon and A.I.M. make a play for his company, with the full support of the Board of Directors that Feilong put into place. And Justine Hammer shows up (back from the dead) to play her role by stealing Tony’s new magic armor and letting him know they’ve been playing him since the beginning. So it looks like he’s gonna have to go back to basics for this corporate war!

Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.

As a new Iron Man relaunch, this is a very good start that does a lot right. As Ackerman points out at the back of the book, the goal was to be dramatic and to swing big, and that is achieved. Tony Stark is put through the wringer in this issue and sets him off on a solid, entertaining adventure. The story keeps things in Stark’s specific comic book wheelhouse of boardroom and business shenanigans, while mixing in just enough superhero elements to keep it interesting. The boardroom stuff does seem a little too stacked against him and a little too easy, but that might just be my bias against this sort of thing. Boards of Directors having the power to unilaterally oust our protagonist or antagonist seems so far fetched, but it might also be that I just don’t like capitalism.

The issue itself is solid and full of both character work and action, so that’s nice. It takes elements from the previous run and applies them to this new one, which is always nice of a new writer to do. Ackerman starts with a fight with a tinge of business, as Tony defends some striking workers, then hits us with that big crash to really kick off his story. I was a little squiggy about Tony looking so sickly this issue, but that’s on me. He’s brought to a low point, and it’s going to take a storyline to bring him back up, so I’m looking forward to that. The villainy at hand, especially the almost easy corporate takeover, is a little hard to swallow, but not impossible. I want an Iron Man comic to lean into business shenanigans, just like I want a Dazzler comic to lean into music and celebrity, so I’m down for all of this (including the resurrection of Justine Hammer).

The only drawback of this first issue is that we don’t get to see that new armor on the page. It looks awesome and is a major selling point to this relaunch. I love an armor that looks tough and mechanical and can’t wait to see it in action!

TL;DR: The new creative team starts strong in getting all of their pieces into place for their story, with a jam-packed issue that nicely balances action, character development and corporate drama.

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Superman #19
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Dan Mora
Colorist: Alejandro Sanchez
Letterer: Ariana Maher

And we’re back with our regularly scheduled Superman comics! And Williamson has not missed a beat!

In the far future, at the end of everything, Time Trapper taunts Superman. But when Superman won’t do what he wants (whatever that is), the Trapper goes back to find someone who will. In the present day, Lois Lane has Superman-esque powers after Absolute Power, so Superman and Superwoman are all about the day saving as a couple! But when Doomsday shows up, it might be the fight of their lives…until time comes to a stop and the Time Trapper shows up. He then reveals himself to be a much, much older Doomsday! And he needs Superman’s help!

Comic Rating: 9/10 – Great.

One of my favorite comics of the past year is back on track with a fun new story start! Lois Lane being Superwoman is nothing new, but Williamson treats it as such, and that’s fine by me. He has a lot of fun sending Lois right into the middle of the action alongside her husband, while easily maintaining the solid support cast and plotlines. Supercorp now has multiple heroes to watch, the Daily Planet is still awesome and Lex Luthor has lost his memory. Good stuff all around, as far as I’m concerned. Williamson has excelled at taking classic villains and giving them a new boost or a new twist or a new perspective, and I’m already thrilled to see what he’s done with Doomsday. I don’t know the Time Trapper at all, but combining them and giving us an old, talkative Doomsday should be a hoot! Loved pretty much everything in this highly energetic issue.

And this issue has current comic superstar artist Dan Mora on interiors, and you can’t ask for better than that. I mean, you could ask for Mikel Janin or Hayden Sherman, and those would also be great. DC has some incredible comic artists in their stable these days, and it really, really pays off! While I miss the original artist on this comic, which really drew me to these pages in the first place, having Dan Mora on your monthly mag is about as good as comic books get these days.

TL;DR: New storyline, new plots and a new superstar artist put Superman right back where it belongs as one of the best comics on the stands these days.

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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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