This was one of those weeks where every single comic I’m reading comes out at the same time. And there are some I’m way behind on, like Scarlet Witch and Fantastic Four, that I really need to dig into and get caught up. But until then, we’ve got some excellent books, including Superman and Wonder Woman!

Comic Book of the Week goes to Absolute Wonder Woman #4 for a perfectly crafted chapter in this already exciting series.

Meanwhile, I’m starting to wind down on Stardew Valley and pick back up Dragon Age: The Veilguard, so that’s exciting. I’m enjoying the new season of Severance, but didn’t really care for the second season of The Silo. I’m also reading Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, finally, and it’s as good as everyone says.

Comic Reviews: Absolute Wonder Woman #4, Power Rangers Prime #3 Superman #22, Ultimate Spider-Man #13, Uncanny X-Men #9 and Wonder Woman #17.

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Absolute Wonder Woman #4
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Becca Carey

There’s no slowing down for Absolute Wonder Woman!

Wonder Woman lost her magic arm, so Steve Trevor brings her to his friend Etta Candy, whose sister, Gia, is an herbalist (or a witch?). Wonder Woman gathers the supplies she needs to cast a spell for a new arm, then goes out to fight the giant monster. She does this by growing her sword to giant-sized and slicing the thing nearly in half.

Comic Rating: 10/10 – Fantastic.

Just an all-together brilliant issue that perfectly encapsulates everything great about the series so far. Granted, pretty much every single issue of this series so far has accomplished that, but this one really shows off this great series at the top of its game, firing on all cylinders as it tells its story. We start with a great character story, while also introducing Etta Candy to the book. Diana is so effortlessly charming and wonderful as she meets Steve’s friend and puts together a magic spell…one that ends up being bloody and wild, needing to grow a new arm. That’s already badass, but the scene is coached in such friendly, instant camaraderie.

And then it leads to a truly awesome and badass moment as Wonder Woman takes down the beast. Personally, I’m a little concerned that the creature was taken down in one fell swoop, considering how well Thompson has built it up as a truly end-all beast…but there’s no denying how badass it is to see Wonder Woman increase the size of her buster sword and then just slice it down into the monster from a great height. Hells yeah! And Sherman’s artwork captures it perfectly, with all the guts sliced in half as well. Just a truly awesome, bombastic, larger-than-life scene in this comic book.

TL;DR: This issue showcases everything that’s great about this series so far: the personal, human side of the story, and the larger-than-life, monster-fighting action.

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Power Rangers Prime #3
Writer: Melissa Flores
Artist: Michael Yg
Colorist: Fabi Marques
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire

Loving this series so far.

Our heroes sneak into the museum after hours to try to get Lauren some kind of morpher, because Mark and Orion are interns and have access. Rita and Bulk head to the museum as well, after Rita discovers that the command Center is now a pricey meditation resort. The two groups clash and Lauren fights Rita, until the authorities show up. Rita quickly offers Lauren a team-up and is able to magic up enough Ranger tech in the vicinity to turn Lauren in Red Ranger Prime!

Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.

I will say this right off the bat: I hope there are some twists as to who will eventually be our main Rangers. Ever see the old sci-fi TV show Lexx? That first episode or so did a fantastic job of setting up a bunch of characters and then surprising the viewer by the end as to which ones were actually going to be the protagonists. We don’t have too many characters to work with, but I hope the Ranger squad isn’t as obvious as it seems. Though I will also say that I’m not going to be too disappointed if the team plays out exactly as spelled out in this issue.

As for the issue itself, quite fun. We spend a lot more time with our core cast, getting to know them and how they interact with one another. I like that they’re not all fully on board with everything. Valentina is especially irksome, and I dig it. Bulk and Rita are also becoming a solid pair of characters, to the point that I do hope they’re part of the squad. Rita could be the Zordon and Bulk could be the Alpha…or Red Ranger Yellow! I’ll stop fantasizing now. Anyway, this issue is mostly characters just talking and showing off who they are, and I like that. And we then arrive at a perfectly valid reason to introduce the first of our Prime Rangers. The moment hits exactly as hard as it needs to, and the artwork is likewise fantastic.

TL;DR: Enjoyable issue that lets us get to know our characters a bit more, before finally getting to the big Ranger reveal. Though personally, I hope we get a few twists by the time the dust settles.

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Superman #22
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Dan Mora
Colorist: Alejandro Sanchez
Letterer: Ariana Maher

This is easily the most I’ve ever enjoyed an ongoing Superman comic for some time, even if I did flake off a bit there for a few issues.

The Aftermath has come to Metropolis to claim the captured Doomsday. They are an armada made up of survivors of various worlds Doomsday has ravaged. Superman and Superwoman have a chat with their leader, but the guy is being way too cryptic about his plans for Doomsday and the Supes won’t turn him over. The leader then reveals himself to be a new Radiant, a character from a previous Doomsday story. There’s a big fight as Radiant breaks Doomsday free, so much so that we get a “Superman/Doomsday Team-Up” as they fight off Radiant and the Aftermath together!

In the middle of the action, the Time Trapper freezes time again, this time to offer Lois Lane the chance to save the future.

Comic Rating: 9/10 – Great.

I am really enjoying the interplay between Clark and Lois while she has powers, even if I don’t like the power-switch gimmick overall. It’s a fun change of pace and adds a nice new wrinkle to the already entertaining series. Part of me wishes we somehow got more of it, that it could somehow go deeper, but that’s not a big concern. It’s enjoyable enough already, especially when Lois gets the chance to show off her wit and intelligence, like when she exposes Radiant for his vagueness. I’m not familiar at all with Radiant, so his reveal here means nothing to me, but I trust what I’ve seen online that he’s another former villain who Williamson is getting good use out of, and he’s a solid choice to add to this ongoing Doomsday storyline.

I like how Doomsday is getting the gravitas he deserves. I originally felt his showing up at all was rather sudden, but now that he’s in the mix, it works for the story. He’s definitely one of those characters who has been diluted from overuse, but I’ve barely read any of his other stories, so it’s no big deal. He’s used well here — that Superman/Doomsday Team-Up page turn had been grinning like a fool — and I really like the idea of Time Trapper Doomsday reaching out to Lois. I can’t believe I didn’t see it coming after Clark already turned him down. So really good ending for this issue.

TL;DR: All of the moving parts work splendidly together in this stuffed issue, which makes great use of both Superwoman and Doomsday.

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Ultimate Spider-Man #13
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Marco Checchetto
Colorist: Matthew Wilson
Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit

Took a few issues off and now I’m popping back in to see how things are coming along.

Kraven the Hunter has held Peter and Harry captive for two months (which was revealed at the end of last issue!). He’s broken them down and discovered their secrets, and now he’s going to hunt them in the Savage Land beneath Staten Island. The issue takes a lot of time having Kraven explain his plans to Mysterio and Mole Man before sending his two captives into the dino-infested jungle.

Meanwhile, Richard Parker has teamed up with the AI spider-suit to go and be Spider-Man in his father’s stead. The suit is very, very Venom-esque at this point. And they run into the new Black Cat.

Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.

This issue brushes up against some of my personal gripes with Ultimate Spider-Man. I do not like the gimmick of each issue taking place once per month. I loved the end of the previous issue, when it was revealed that Peter and Harry were prisoners of Kraven. But I do not like the idea of them being held prison for two months because that’s how time passes between issues. Also, between the two getting trapped in the Savage Land and Black Cat meeting the new Spider-Man, do we really want to jump ahead a whole month? Beyond that, this still a well-written, well-drawn issue. As mentioned, most of the issue is just Kraven getting his allies and the audience caught up on everything that happened, so there’s a lot of exposition. But it’s interesting exposition that really shows off these new Ultimate villains. And we do get a taste of the action in the Savage Land. But there’s just something not sitting right with me on this comic. Like how we’re just thrust into the idea of Richard Parker taking over as Spider-Man with the help of the suit. Comes out of nowhere, it feels, and then we’ll just jump to some new level of nowhere.

TL;DR: The monthly time jumps are really hurting this series from developing its stronger stories, and leaves us with issues mostly about exposition.

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Uncanny X-Men #9
Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: Andrei Bressan
Colorist: Matthew Wilson
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles

Honestly, I didn’t much care for Raid on Graymalkin and that very nearly tuned me out of these X-Men comics. But I’m gonna give Uncanny another try.

After spending some time getting to know the new kids, the X-Men send the to the mall to buy some clothes and whatnot. But the bad guys have now created Sentinel Dogs and send a pack after the kids.

Comic Rating: 6/10 – Pretty Good.

As I often say in comics like this, I would have much preferred if we just had a whole issue of these kids going shopping at the mall together. I still feel like we barely know these kids, and some character-building material would be wonderful. We do get a few scenes of the kids getting to be people, like Calico and Jitter dancing together in the barn. But I wanted more! I want to really dive in deep and get to know them as people and characters. I do not need another rehash of the robot wolfpack trope. How many times over the decades have the X-Men fought dog-like mutant hunting-robots? It’s not very interesting, and nothing in this issue makes these dogs interesting.

I also just grow more and more annoyed at the villains. The entirety of the Krakoa era was spent with the menacing Orchis organization looming over the horizon sending new threats against our reactionary heroes. Now we’ve got this Warden and her far-less intimidating prison sending new threats against our reactionary heroes. And just like with Raid on Graymalkin, the writers are just going to come up with some vaguely convincing reason why the various X-Men can’t just come together and squash them out, like they will do eventually down the line. So I’m just not buying these villains as a worthwhile threat, whereas I’d love to learn more about these kids.

TL;DR: What could have been an engaging issue with these new kids is instead highjacked by the unfortunate need to have action in a superhero comic.

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Wonder Woman #17
Writer: Tom King
Artist: Daniel Sampere
Colorist: Tomeu Morey
Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Another excellent chapter in this ongoing series. I’m definitely going to buy the omnibus somewhere down the line just so I can own it all at once in physical form.

While Wonder Woman tells her daughter about how she met the girl’s father, the Wonder Girls attack the Sovereign’s Washington DC mansion, where he is holed up after being exposed last issue. They fight their way through the super-villain bodyguards, while the Sovereign flees to his final stronghold: the White House!

Comic Rating: 9/10 – Great.

This is one of the issues that focuses on the Wonder Girls. While I don’t necessarily think it explores them enough, it’s still a fine showcase for the three of them kicking butt and taking names. The Sovereign narrates, as usual, and he has a nice understanding of the trio, in his normally obtuse way. They work together well, fight together well, and take down their opponents as need be. The artwork, of course, is sensational. Sampere is already making his career with this series (if he hadn’t already somewhere), but his wide shots of Giganta are breathtakingly gorgeous.

And then everyone else looks just as awesome in tighter shots, as the fight is ongoing. We get some solid wonkiness when Angle Man gets to use his powers, and then some calm scenes of Diana sculpting a statue of Steve Trevor, while telling a story to her baby. It’s a very nice moment between mother and daughter. And I, for one, have loved how this storyline is all about Wonder Woman focusing on what matters most — the baby — while trusting in her allies to dismantle the Sovereign in ways that arrogant bastard never saw coming. It’s made for a very fun chapter.

Then that final cliffhanger is just what we needed to kick things into high gear for a possible finale? I have no idea how much longer this story is going to go or where it’s going to end.

TL;DR: Gorgeous artwork and excellent character work come together for another truly entertaining and wonderful comic.

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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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