What’s happening, party people? Got a fun stack of all DC comics this week, because they’re really putting out the bangers nowadays. So I hope you enjoy Batman and Absolute Superman!

Comic Book of the Week goes to Absolute Evil #1 for some truly legitimate surprises!

Meanwhile, I’ve barely scratched the surface of Silksong and I’m also contemplating just dropping it for Ghost of Yotei! I’m only human! But I also finally just got Mortal Kombat 1, so maybe I’ll play that to pass the time.

Also, if you live in Central New York, I’ll be going to my first comic-con since the pandemic at Uticon in Utica, NY! I’ll be selling both volumes of Gamer Girl & Vixen! So if you want a copy, now is the perfect time to come out and buy my book!

Comic Reviews: Absolute Evil #1, Absolute Superman #12, Batman #2 and Cheetah & Cheshire Rob the Justice League #3.

Absolute Evil #1
Writer: Al Ewing
Artists: Giuseppe Camuncoli & Stefano Nesi
Colorist: Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Letterer: Tom Napolitano

I’m very much enjoying the Absolute Universe as a whole, so I definitely decided to check out this little one-shot, though I didn’t know much going in.

With the Absolute Universe off and running through all the main titles, this one-shot has come along to flesh out the world, flesh out the history and introduce some novel new characters and concepts. For example, we get some American history and some classic characters, like Hawkman and Wildcat, are inserted and explained. We get our first look at Absolute Green Arrow and a few other notable characters. And then, in a very fun twist, all of the Absolute Bad Guys we’ve met so far in the various books team up to form the Absolute Justice League!

Comic Rating: 9/10 – Great.

This issue was a hoot and a half! I don’t want to give away too many spoilers, but I might not be able to help myself, so be careful when you read this review. Basically, while the main Absolute titles focus on their own stories, this Absolute Evil comic does a lot to expand the world and introduce some major players that we haven’t seen yet. And the surprises and twists are just so much fun! I loved the historical characters like Hawkman and Wildcat, and then the twist with Green Arrow was exactly the sort of shocking moment the Absolute Universe thrives upon! It’s not often modern comics surprise me, and I had a blast with all the reveals in this issue.

I especially enjoyed the reveal of the Absolute Justice League. I can’t believe I didn’t see that coming, even while reading the issue! I just assumed we’d get team ups with the main Absolute superheroes after a while (and some have been announced), but a Justice League of villains sounds like the perfect sort of twist for these comics. I’m a little disappointed that pretty much all of these villains are just people in suits, but that’s not a major gripe. Just a little thing to note about the Absolute Universe.

TL;DR: In terms of expanding and exploring the Absolute Universe in a one-shot, this issue is a heck of a lot of fun with a lot of big and exciting reveals.

Absolute Superman #12
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Rafa Sandoval
Colorist: Ulises Arreola
Letterer: Becca Carey

Absolute Superman might not be my favorite of the Absolute comics anymore, perhaps only because Absolute Wonder Woman is so damn awesome.

Superman, Lois and Jimmy have fled to Smallville to recover, and we get a lot of flashbacks to Kal-El trying to live and hide in the world, and mostly his relationship with Sol, his sentient suit/cape. Kal, Jimmy, Lois and Sol all make peace and agree to be a little team…just in time for R’as al Ghul and Lazarus to invade Smallville.

Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.

Some fun things happen in this issue as we gear up for another big battle. This is a calm-before-the-storm issue, and it’s got some good character work. I enjoyed Kal-El, Lois and Jimmy solidifying their whole thing, and I enjoyed meeting Lana Lang. Good use of that character. I’m not all that invested in the partnership between Kal-El and Sol, so I wasn’t too concerned with their portions of the issue, but it was nice to see some more flashbacks to the lives Kal tried to live on Earth. Obviously it helps to flesh him out as we move into the next big battle. He remains really cool, I still love his Absolute look. The artwork remains strong. I just really enjoy how everything has come together by this point, and this issue does a solid job of giving us come calm before the upcoming storm.

TL;DR: Very enjoyable issue that sets a foundation for the main characters ahead of the next big battle. The character work remains one of the best parts of his comic.

Batman #2
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Jorge Jimenez
Colorist: Tomeu Morey
Letterers: Jimenez and Clayton Cowles

I very much enjoy how Batman writers like to use Tim Drake as Robin in the main Batman series. I know some people would like Tim to move on to his own identity, but if DC isn’t going to do that, then I’m more than happy to see him continue as Batman’s partner.

Robin stops some thieves and winds up getting shot by some crooked cops, who are taking to heart Commissioner Vandal Savage’s war on crime ideology. Robin gets thrown in the back of the paddy wagon, while shot and handcuffed, and has to fight off the other arrested crooks and the rough driving. Batman saves him and then a situation arises in which the bad cop and his not-as-bad partner shoot each other in a face-off, with one of them dying. Savage uses this death to declare war on Batman and Robin.

Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.

I wasn’t ga-ga about this issue like I thought I might be, with the focus on Tim Drake as Robin, but it’s still a very entertaining story with a great spotlight on Tim. Look, I’m a huge Robin fan. I’m a bigger fan of Robin than I am of Batman. And any comic that gives me Batman and Robin working as partners is already better than any solo Batman comic (with obvious exceptions). And then any comic that gives me Tim Drake as Robin working as Batman’s partner, that’s even better! So I very much enjoyed this issue bringing Tim into Faction’s story already, giving him and Batman some awesome scenes as partners, and then setting them up going forward.

The issue itself is solid and fun. We get a good look at what cops are like under Savage. I’m not a fan of Vandal Savage being Police Commissioner because it’s such an insane twist that it just doesn’t work. But I’m cool with reinforcing the idea that Gotham City cops are real scumbags are opposed to the heroes. Then Robin gets some awesome scenes to be a hero. When Batman shows up, it’s even cooler…though the moment where Batman and Robin try to block the bullets with their capes is sort of ruined when both cops end up getting shot, and one of them dies. Were they really that unsuccessful in their attempted badass heroism?

Also, if it needs to be said, I very enjoy love Tim’s new costume, designed by Jorge Jimenez. It’s bright and colorful and matches Bruce’s new look. Though as a Robin purist, a little bit of green wouldn’t hurt.

TL;DR: Fun second issue of the new series puts the focus on Robin, and that’s always going to be a winner in my book. A lot of nice foundation being set for a Batman and Robin comic.

Cheetah & Cheshire Rob the Justice League #3
Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Nicola Scott
Colorist: Annette Kwok
Letterer: Troy Peteri

Some people might say that three issues of set up is too much. When it’s Greg Rucka writing these characters, I say three issues isn’t enough!

The team is gathered in Jade’s villa in Morocco as we begin introductions and briefing. We’ve got Cheshire, Cheetah, Hazard, Klarion the Witch Boy and the new character, Featherweight, who is revealed to be the daughter of Nyssa al Ghul. So neat. We get a run down of the Watchtower and the security and the heist, and then our villains get to work gaining access to what they need to pull off the heist. There’s also a fun cameo from Sideways! Remember him? Poor old Sideways. Anyway, Klarion is up to something.

Comic Rating: 9/10 – Great.

I’m going to end up a broken record about this series and I don’t care. Rucka and Scott just doing a hangout book with these characters is a ton of fun! Rucka does a great job establishing and maintaining the different characters, and their jovial banter and general friendliness is so enjoyable. I love when comics are about people first, supervillains second — and this series is exactly that. They hang out, they talk about themselves, they share memes and do heist stuff together. They lounge by the pool!

With all of this hanging out, I sorta wish we had another adult member of the team. I really really enjoy the friendship between Cheetah and Cheshire, and I just wanna see that expand a bit more with a third friend! Maybe Hazard could step up, but she ultimately didn’t in this issue. And then the teenagers are hanging out, and while Rucka nails their dynamic, teenagers are annoying to this old man! It doesn’t help that I never liked Klarion the Witch Boy. But I do find it fun that Damian now has a blood cousin out there in the world. That’s neat!

Also, great use of Sideways! Did Rucka create Sideways originally or did he just pick that character to use? Wikipedia tells me he didn’t. So I love it even more than Rucka is making good use of an otherwise abandoned character!

TL;DR: We haven’t even gotten to the heist yet and I’m still absolutely loving this comic! The character focus is second-to-none.

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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