Category Archives: Comics

The 6 Biggest Problems of Batman Eternal

The final issue of Batman Eternal came out today, and I am not proud to say I have read all 52 issues. I am disappointed in myself for going through with it. I wish I had allowed myself to quit reading a long time ago. But for some insane reason, I just kept buying, just kept reading, and documented my thoughts in my weekly Hench-Sized Reviews every Saturday. I would say this was a Herculean effort, but it’s probably more like Sisyphus.

Gear up, everybody. This is gonna be a big one.

Still, I read the entire series, and I’m more than ready to plow through the final issue. But a feat of this magnitude deserves a little something extra. I have hated Batman Eternal since the beginning — but plenty of other reviewers around the web have loved the comic. So I’ve decided to do my best to explain why I hated Batman Eternal so much. This was a popular comic, and DC is already planning Year Two. A lot of people loved it, but why did I hate it so so much?

Join me after the jump to find out!

Read the rest of this entry

Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 3/28/15

I’m happy to report my busy week has come to an end! I was covering a murder trial in my day job as a mild-mannered newspaper reporter, and the guy ended up being found guilty. He had it coming, trust me. But all that day job stuff cut into my blogging and comic book reading, so unfortunately it’s going to be a somewhat light week. It helps that Marvel Comics didn’t really put out anything too crazy this week.

Though Marvel did put out Uncanny X-Men #32, which wins Comic Book of the Week for finally kicking off Cyclops’ final journey!

And does it vive?

DC Comics filled up the rest of my week, with new issues of Batman Eternal, Batman and Robin and Gotham Academy. It seems I really read a lot of Bat-books. That’s largely unintentional, they’re just the best that DC has to offer. That’s not a bad thing, right?

Oh, and you can check out my review of Darth Vader #3 over at Word of the Nerd. Good times in Dark Lord of the Sithing!

Comic Reviews: Batman Eternal #51, Batman and Robin #40, Gotham Academy #6 and Uncanny X-Men #32.

Read the rest of this entry

The All-New, All-Different Avengers Kind of Puts the Kibosh on that Whole Reboot Idea

The first hints of a post-Secret Wars Marvel were revealed to the Internet yesterday with the team lineup of the All-New, All-Different Avengers. This is the first official look of what the Marvel Universe will be like in the Fall, when Marvel promised a big reboot! Or Marvel promised a big change and a lot of people assumed that meant a reboot. Me? I was never convinced, and this new cover image backs up my theories.

Take a look at it and tell me what you see.

Green hands? Brown ground?

I see Ms. Marvel, Lady Thor, Sam Alexander as Nova and Sam Wilson as Captain America; otherwise known as the exact same lineup of characters in a pre-Secret Wars world. So if Marvel were actually going to go through with a reboot, wouldn’t none of these characters exist?

Granted, the addition of Miles Morales means a whole heck of a lot. But that’s something to unpack on another day.

All I’m worried about today is the fact that, when Secret Wars is over, the Marvel Universe is going to be largely the same. It’ll have the same characters in most likely the same situations. Yes, some things will be different, some characters and status quos might be switched around, but the Marvel Universe isn’t going anywhere.

—————-

I Called the Big Bad of Batman Eternal!

I did it! I called it! Ha! Score one for the Henchman! I got something right for once!

Normally I’d wait until my Hench-Sized Reviews on Saturday to talk about the latest issue of Batman Eternal, but I just had to stake my claim here and now to totally calling the super big evil bad guy of the year-long series! I never get this sort of thing right! My theories about Lost were way off! But this one I got! I didn’t really have any clues, I didn’t really know it was coming. I just put my thinking cap on and gave it my best guess!

First of all, it’s not Cluemaster, as was alluded to in the final page of Batman Eternal #50.

He spent money on those glasses!

The new issue this week – Batman Eternal #51 – is all about Cluemaster taunting a defeated and bloodied Batman. Cluemaster monologues like a total pro, going on such a rant that it legitimizes Syndrome’s entire ‘monologuing’ gag from The Incredibles in the first place. The guy just won’t shut up, so proud to finally tell Batman (and the readers) all about his ‘clever’ plan to be evil and awesome. I’ll admit that the issue, written by James Tynion IV, is alright. It’s better than Batman Eternal has been for most of its run. But there is a whole heck of a lot of monologuing.

Then, at the very end of Batman Eternal #51, we’re introduced to the real villain of the series…

Join me after the jump to find out who! SPOILERS, obviously.

Read the rest of this entry

The 6 Best Comic Book Attorneys

I’m in the mood for some courtroom drama! As I mentioned earlier this week, I’m deep in the heart of an intense murder trial, covering it as part of my day job as a mild-mannered newspaper reporter. The last time I had a trial and a List of Six collide, I wrote about 6 Superheroes Put on Trial. This time, I’ve decided to take a look at superhero attorneys!

Objection!

Unless you’re Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark, every superhero needs a day job. Both Clark Kent and myself are mild-mannered reporters. Spider-Man is a freelance photographer. D-Man is a hobo. The list goes on and on. Several comic book heroes (and even some villains) are lawyers! They fight for justice in the courtroom during the day, then fight for justice on the streets at night. Sounds like a pretty solid comic book premise to me.

Join me after the jump for the six best comic book lawyers!

Read the rest of this entry