Category Archives: Comics

Damian’s Finest Hour

Something absolutely huge happens to Damian Wayne in today’s issue of Batman Incorporated! And I know people throw around terms like ‘finest hour’ all the time, but this issue really is Damian Wayne’s finest hour! And not just because he punches children.

Take that, children!

I’m not going to spoil the big surprise here in the opening, even if it’s been spoiled everywhere else. You can click the jump to find out what happens. But for now, I just want to say that Batman Incorporated #8 is a fantastic issue! I’ll review it like normal in my Hench-Sized Reviews, but since this is Robin Week, I wanted to do something special so that everybody could share in the awesomeness that is Damian Wayne’s Finest Hour.

Join me after the jump. There are full spoilers for Batman Incorporated #8!

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The 6 Coolest Alternate Reality Robins

Robin Week continues now with a look at some of the coolest alternate reality Robins in comics. Alternate realities and parallel dimensions are a staple of comic books. Not only can they provide a new and exciting adventure for our heroes, but they’re an opportunity for imaginations to run wild. Want to write a story about Steampunk Batman fighting Jack the Ripper? No problem! Or how about a version of Superman raised in Soviet Russia? You bet! And did someone say Batman the Pirate? These types of stories are so prolific that DC Comics has coined the word ‘Elseworlds’ to categorize them.

And Robin has had some pretty cool alternate Elseworlds versions out there.

Give me ALL the Robins!

There are a lot more than six, so I’ve focused on simply the six coolest alternate reality versions of Robin. But just for kicks, I think I’ll add even more in the Honorable Mentions section! Join me after the jump for some weird but awesome Robin fun!

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Robin’s Fate Spoiled in the Media

The evil news media has done it again: they’ve spoiled the fate of Damian Wayne. They did it when Captain America was shot. They did it when Peter Parker was killed. And now they’ve done it again! Though I’m not going to do the spoiling until after the jump.

What kind of kid hates the zoo?

Though you can read my previous article on whether or not Damian was going to be killed. Or you can just click the jump to find out for sure. What the heck happens to Damian!? THERE WILL BE SPOILERS AFTER THE JUMP!

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Review: Saga #10

I was disappointed with the last issue of Saga because writer Brian K. Vaughn took us away from the main characters at a very entertaining part of their story, choosing instead to focus on some of the side characters. And while I don’t take back my disappointment, I am definitely glad he did that, because Vaughn set up one of the most emotionally powerful scenes in the series yet. I cried out loud when I turned to the final page! Damn you, Brian K. Vaughn! Why must you hit us with all the feels? We’re only human. We can’t be put through an emotional wringer like this!

Saga #10

Saga #10 is absolutely perfect in every conceivable way. Vaughn brings together both groups of characters in an issue that brings to a head the various plot threads we’ve been reading over the past several issues. He does this by first showing us true love and then later breaking our damn hearts.

Comic Rating: 5/5: Great!

Vaughn should be teaching some kind of class on creative writing. The man is a master of building up characters and putting them together in highly entertaining and emotionally fulfilling ways. We only met Marko’s parents a few issues ago, but I love them already, and I love how they have quickly become such a warm and important part of the cast. A writer should be able to tell he’s got good characters when all I want to do is read them sitting around and talking about their lives. We get some of that in this issue, as well as some more parenting advice from Barr, but there’s also a lot of action, which is good too. If you can’t tell by the cover, we finally get Izabel back into the cast and everyone returns to the spaceship tree. Those are some very entertaining scenes.

The art by Fiona Staples is, of course, absolutely top notch. I can only hope she becomes one of the greatest artists in the industry after this series. The characters all look great, and she brings a real coziness to their confines. Staples also draws one incredible splash page that I’ll post later that is simply stunning. There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that she is perfect for this series after seeing that page.

And then when it comes time to break our hearts on the last page, Staples is more than up for the challenge.

Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!

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Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 2/23/13

It’s weeks like this that make me regret ever starting this Hench-Sized review column! Oy vey! Somehow, the Marvel and DC scheduling system is perfectly tailored to my reading habits so that the books I actually buy and read all come out on the same darn week! Last week I only had four comics in the Hench-Sized reviews. This week there’s more than a dozen! And it doesn’t help that I’m broke…

But enough whining, let’s get to some comics! This has proven to be an absolutely stellar week of books! I enjoyed all of the comics I bought this week, with more than a few of them rising to perfect scores. And you want to talk gender equality? How about the fact that the two best comics this week both star female leads. It’s an absolute shame that more people aren’t buying Captain Marvel. That book is absolutely amazing! But it’s surpassed just a little by Batwoman, which wins Comic Book of the Week for its fantastic climactic issue and surprise romantic ending!

Though Captain Marvel’s sheer adorableness was hard to beat.

Comic Reviews: Avengers #6, Batwoman #17, Captain Marvel #10, Green Lantern #17, Green Lantern: New Guardians #17, Indestructible Hulk #4, Justice League #17, Justice League of America #1, Nightwing #17, Nova #1, Red Hood and the Outlaws #17, Superior Spider-Man #4, Thor: God of Thunder #5, Vibe #1, Wonder Woman #17.

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