It’s the week of weeks! Not only did Fantastic Four: First Steps just come out, but we’re also smack dab in the middle of San Diego Comic Con! So much news coming out. So many trailers. And we had a nice week of comics as well, like Absolute Wonder Woman and Superman.

Comic Book of the Week goes to Void Rivals #21 for an excellent, action-packed issue that uses all of its characters very well.

Meanwhile, I loved the new Fantastic Four movie and hope to have my review up on time next week. Greatness all around! And then I continue to plug again at Death Stranding 2. I’m taking my darn time and stretching out the game as far as I can, because there’s nothing else on the horizon. I also started watching Smiling Friends, which was nice, and the new episode of South Park was perfection. So good week all around for pop culture.

Comic Reviews: Absolute Martin Manhunter #5, Absolute Wonder Woman #10, Superman #28 and Void Rivals #21.

Absolute Martian Manhunter #5
Writer: Deniz Camp
Artist: Javier Rodriguez
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

I think Absolute Martian Manhunter was only meant to be six issues, so this issue is pretty much just setting up what was supposed to be the finale.

The city is bathed in darkness after the attacks on the power plants, and it has brought everybody’s shadows to life. John and the Martian spend the issue stopping bad guys from doing bad things while ruminating on the nature of darkness. Then they get separated and are in a lot of danger.

Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.

This was more of a low key issue than what we’ve been getting. It’s mostly scene setting. Darkness and evil have descended on the city, and John and the Martian are put in precarious situations that will be difficult to escape. Such is the nature of penultimate cliffhangers. It’s still a fun issue, with our heroes taking down some pretty bad people preying on the darkness. And then John’s wife and son are also put in peril, so that ups the stakes. And I think we get some hints towards Darkseid? I’m not really a fan of that idea. I know the Absolute Universe is part of a larger Darkseid storyline, but Absolute Martin Manhunter is such a unique vision of a series that I hope it doesn’t get bogged down in crossover stuff.

TL;DR: Absolute Martian Manhunter takes an issue to bathe in its atmosphere, setting up what should be a strong ending to this first arc…if that’s indeed what happens. Could be anything with a comic like this!

Absolute Wonder Woman #10
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Becca Carey

Wonder Woman is in the thick of the action in this issue and it’s all golden!

Wonder Woman is trapped in the Maze under Area 41 and is running out of allies. She is able to save the siren and send her back to Diana’s friends, but must contend with Queen Clea and further dangers. Meanwhile, we also get an awesome flashback to Diana’s training and challenges as a little girl.

Comic Rating: 9/10 – Great.

So yeah, Wonder Woman is trapped in a bad place; she’s got a villain with henchmen, she’s got allies of her own, and she’s got people to save. This is all the makings of a great comic for any superhero, and there’s no doubt that Thompson and Sherman spin all of this into gold! From Ferdinand’s sacrifice to Diana’s sacrifice to the battles to the weirdness. I don’t normally like drug-induced freaky sequences, but it was fine in this issue. Just part of the labyrinth. This is the comic churning on all cylinders. The supporting characters get some of the best moments and best lines.

So the real amazing part of this issue is the flashback scene. I have just gone back and boosted my grade by a level just remembering how good it was. We get tiny Diana in her child-sized armor. We get another amazing child Diana moment as she fights to save a turtle. And then we get Circe and Hecate laying out the point of Wonder Woman, and it’s just so wonderful. The gods made her the way she is to be a better weapon than one might expect, and then to another degree no one could anticipate, Diana just turned out to be amazing. It’s a perfect summation of Wonder Woman, and a perfect explanation for Absolute Wonder Woman in particular. This was a very welcome mission statement.

TL;DR: The action and character work remain top notch, and then this issue goes and gives us one of the best flashbacks and mission statements yet.

Superman #28
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Dan Mora
Colorist: Alejandro Sanchez
Letterer: Ariana Maher

I am not a big fan of Big Event crossovers these days, but thankfully, the comics involved remain awesome.

The Legion of Superheroes has been corrupted by Darkseid and the Big Event that everything has been building toward, and Saturn Girl visits Clark to get a sense of his strength of power. She uses her telepathy to try to break him mentally, but Time Trapper saves Superman and they head off to recruit a new player: Superboy Prime!

Comic Rating: 9/10 – Great.

Ha! What a great time and great way to bring back Superboy Prime. Sure. Why not. I fully trust Williamson with this. I don’t know everything there is to know about the Dark Legion and about Darkseid, but this issue was a nice tease of what’s to come. There were some really crushing stakes — pun intended — and the twist reveal did catch me for a loop. And then it was just an otherwise strong issue of Superman, kicking off a new storyline. I love this Doomsday/Time Trapper character and the gray role he plays in the series. It makes for a fun dynamic with Superman, and I very much enjoyed when he showed up and saved the Man of Steel.

This issue is mostly set up for what’s to come, but it is excellently written, with some great Dan Mora artwork. All the pieces are moving, all the characters are handled well, and Williamson continues to excel at reinventing classic Superman characters and concepts. He probably can’t be fully credited with this new, Dark Legion, but it absolute feels like it fits in everything Williamson has done so far.

TL;DR: The next storyline kicks off nicely with some great character work, some exciting moments and very worthwhile surprise ending.

Void Rivals #21
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Conor Hughes
Colorist: Patricio Delpeche
Letterer: Rus Wooton

This comic is firing on all cylinders these days, as all the storylines ramp up!

Zalilak returns to his throne and easily defeats Proximus with his new power, opening Proximus’ mind to the will of Zerta. They then launch an attack on Agorria, leading to a big ole fight! Darak rejoins his fighter squadron. The Transformers help out. Darak and Handroid are reunited in a fun scene. And elsewhere, Skuxxoid beats up all the other Skuxxoids and gets a meeting with Skuxxoid Prime.

Comic Rating: 9/10 – Great.

I had a ton of fun with this issue as a lot of moments came to a head. The action kicks off between both worlds and I just didn’t expect it to be so sudden and so cool. Characters and names remain a little difficult to tell apart, but the story and characters definitely work well together. Kirkman has crafted a well-oiled machine of a comic that easily and effortlessly kicks into high gear when needed. And then Hughes doesn’t miss a beat as all the action kicks off, from characters to machinery to Transformers to strange alien worlds. It’s all here and it’s all great.

On a smaller level, the issue is filled with fun moments. Darak and Solila get a little moment to swap Handroids. It’s adorable. I loved the moments between Springer and Rodimus Prime as they find themselves suddenly thrust into this battle between tiny people. It’s silly and so much fun. And then we’ve got Skuxxoid continuing to be the absolute best character in the entire Energon Universe. Void Rivals is the whole package and the best comic in the Energon Universe, without a doubt.

TL;DR: The action ramps up and the characters and comic rise to meet it in an excellent and exciting new Void Rivals. Best comic in Energon Universe!

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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