Readers, you would not believe the month I’m having. Jeez louise. I’m only one man! But at least we’ve got good comics still coming out, like Absolute Batman and the new One World Under Doom.

Comic Book of the Week goes to Green Lantern Corps #1 for a nice return to form for the GL stories I enjoy. Give me all the space cops!

Meanwhile, I’ve got to buy a new car. And I did not save up for having to buy a new car, even though I knew I needed to. So I’m buying this thing based on what savings I do have at the moment, so it’s not great! Which means I’ve got to make Dragon Age: Veilguard and Stardew Valley last a bit longer in terms of entertainment. Avowed and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II are going to have to wait!

Comic Reviews: Absolute Batman #5, Green Lantern Corps #1, One World Under Doom #1 and X-Men #11.

Absolute Batman #5
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Nick Dragotta
Colorist: Frank Martin
Letterer: Clayton Cowles

As I’ve mentioned before in these reviews, I’m currently a student of Scott Snyder’s Comics Writing 101 virtual class. It’s great! And he recently gave a class on how to reinvent/reboot a character, and this issue of Absolute Batman lines up exactly with what he taught in class. I dig it.

Batman takes Black Mask’s deal just long enough to draw him out then refuses, burning all the money in a big bat symbol. Batman starts fighting everybody, but the bad guys get the better of him and kick his butt so so much. Batman is able to escape after exposing Black Mask, but he just leans into it and announces himself to the public, making a strong statement about how the rich have killed the American Dream.

Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.

This issue went a long way in laying out the major themes of this series and the character of the Batman. As Snyder taught us in class, if you’re going to reboot a classic character, do it with an eye towards the politics of today. And quite frankly, billionaires aren’t very popular in 2025, so why would you remake Bruce Wayne into a billionaire? You don’t! You make him a man of the people, and make the corrupt billionaire class the enemy. And here comes this new version of Black Mask, who conducts his crime by taking advantage of that corruption for his own gain, and he lays it out for the people of Gotham in an excellent monologue and provides a nice underline to the series so far.

Couple that with some awesome Batman action and you’ve got a solid issue that moves things along nicely. Batman is as tough and as cool as ever, and confident in his ability to be the best. But against this Black Mask and against these themes, he’s beaten down and barely escapes. It’s not the greatest Batman action sequence of all time, but it’s pretty awesome. And Snyder continues to use Alfred well as an outsider’s perspective. And the art remains a thing of pure beauty and awesomeness. So solid Absolute comic bookery continues to be published.

TL;DR: Another action-packed issue also does a solid job of laying out the important themes that form the foundation for this story.

Green Lantern Corps #1
Writers: Morgan Hampton and Jeremy Adams
Artist: Fernando Pasarin
Inker: Oclair Albert
Colorist: Arif Prianto
Letterer: Dave Sharpe

I’ve never been a big Green Lantern fan, but my favorite period was when Geoff Johns was remaking the universe. My all-time favorite GL series was the Green Lantern Corps comic of that time by Dave Gibbons and Patrick Gleason. They told fun stories about a functional Corps, and that’s what I want.

Give me space cops! And thankfully, the first issue of this new relaunch has just that, for the most part.

After whatever has been happening for the past few years, the Green Lantern Corps is back up and running and working to rebuild their ranks. There are no more Guardians (or at least they’re not in charge), and it’s mostly Lanterns bolstering other Lanterns. John Stewart is the main character so far, and he teams up with Sinestro, now a GL again, to stop a fear construct on Tamaran. Without batteries to control the other emotions on the spectrum, people all over the galaxy can just freak out and gain those powers. While John and his GL backup stop the giant, rampaging fear construct from destroying a city, Sinestro finds the woman responsible and talks her into calming down. They then decide she’ll be the newest recruit.

Comic Rating: 8/10 Very Good.

This first issue delivered pretty much exactly what I’d like to see in this Green Lantern Corps book, short of just reviving that Gibbons/Gleason comic from way back when. We’ve got a large and expansive Green Lantern Corps, built around the Central Power Battery on Oa, and they’re out there in the galaxy solving emergencies and helping people. And sometimes those emergencies revolve around the Emotional Light Spectrum, of which I remain a huge fan. My ideal comic would still have the various colored Lantern corps around, but I’ll take what I can get on that front.

(Speaking of which, Saint Walker has finally made his return, but he’s only glimpsed as a member of the Green Lantern Corps. I will forever prefer him as a Blue Lantern, and for that Corps to still exist.).

As for the actual issue, it’s a lot of fun. The mission is an interesting one, playing with a familiar planet and characters — Tamaran and Blackfire — while telling a story about fear and willpower and overcoming and this new uncontrollable emotional spectrum. And we get a new Lantern from Tamaran, which is always fun. Hopefully she’s intended to be an ongoing character, because who doesn’t love a new alien Lantern introduced in the first issue? And the issue easily and fully justified having Sinestro among the core crew. So that’s nice.

I’m someone who definitely thinks there are too many Earth Lanterns and some of them should be pared down…but I’m hoping they can balance the characters well enough to make them all worthwhile. Kid Lantern is incredibly extraneous, in my opinion, having read almost nothing featuring them.

TL;DR: Fun start to the series, focusing on a Green Lantern Corps that taps into my own personal interest in this franchise, so that was nice. Good introduction of all characters, and put everyone and the Corps to good use.

One World Under Doom #1
Writer: Ryan North
Artist: R.B. Silva
Colorist: David Curiel
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham

I haven’t read all of the build up to this new Big Event — and sadly dropped Ryan North’s Fantastic Four too long ago — but I’m eager to see what this is gonna be like. Who doesn’t love Doctor Doom these days?

After spending several months in seclusion in Latveria, and after becoming Sorcerer Supreme in that last vampire event, Doctor Doom suddenly emerges as leader of the entire world. He makes a big broadcast to everybody claiming all world leaders have bowed down to him, and he’s going to govern a united Earth (united Latveria). Various superheroes gather to oppose him, as does Baron Zemo and HYDRA, though Zemo suddenly pulls an about-face after attacking Doomstadt directly and joins Doom.

The heroes launch a two-pronged attack and discover that Doom killed Zemo and replaced him with a Doombot, while putting HYDRA to work building schools and hospitals. Doom accounted for the hero’s plans and makes another broadcast chastising the heroes. Doom killed Baron Zemo, a noted Nazi, and put HYDRA to work building needed infrastructure. Is that really a bad thing, like the heroes make it out to be?

Comic Rating: 6/10 – Pretty Good.

This first issue didn’t really strike me as anything particularly exciting, though the writing and artwork are as solid as one could hope. The story mostly feels…very manufactured. We start in media res, with Doom already declaring he’s in charge, and then the heroes are literally just sitting around discussing how this happened. Then they shrug their shoulders and just launch an attack to stop him. And a surprising amount of the issue is spent with either Doom, Zemo or Iron Man making big worldwide broadcasts to explain what’s happening to the people of the world. It seemed a little silly. What an odd day to be a random person in the MU watching television. And then all the big moments, like the heroes uncovering Doom’s murder of Zemo, really just come off as manufactured, like I said. Doom is smart enough to foresee the heroes figuring out his Zemo thing because that’s how it’s written, not through any real twist or deepness to the story.

But hey, it’s only the first issue and perhaps it’ll get better going forward. Also, as much as I love to see Ryan North using Squirrel Girl and Nancy Whitehead again, it’s really weird that they’re both included in a meeting of the Avengers and Fantastic Four.

TL;DR: Fun comic, but feels a little dry in terms of telling its story.

X-Men #11
Writer: Jed MacKay
Artist: Netho Diaz
Inker: Sean Parsons
Colorist: Fer Sifuentes-Sujo
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles

I’ve been touch and go on X-Men titles since that crossover, but I’m still very much enjoying Jed MacKay’s X-Men. This might be my favorite of all the titles coming out.

When a mysterious figure crashes from space and heads towards the X-Men hideout, the team goes to intercept — and it’s Corsair! He’s being chased by some bad aliens who also show up and the X-Men get into a fight. Then it turns out they’ve come for Cyclops. Also, Alpha Flight show up.

Also also, most important to me, we learn more about Jennifer’s actual mutant power!

Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.

MacKay’s X-Men succeeds because it’s just fun, crazy action. This is the comic with balls-to-the-wall energy, and it totally works! The action is crazy, the characters are crazy and the story is just plain fun. All the crazy X-Men get into all sorts of craziness as they chase Corsair, butt heads with him and then have to fight some wild aliens. It’s fun, it’s energetic, and MacKay has kept up that pace and energy this whole time. That’s what makes it a very good read. Then he’s got the storytelling down pat as well, first with the reveal that the aliens are there for Cyclops, and then just having Alpha Flight show up! Who doens’t love Alpha Flight? If this series somehow actually starred some of my favorite niche X-Men, I’d be beyond thrilled.

Jennifer Starkey will have to do. For some reason, she remains the one new mutant I’m most interested in across all these titles.

TL;DR: X-Men still maintains its unique, high octane energy and craziness, and I am definitely still into that.

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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